Here comes the Fighter
by Legen-wait. for. it.-dary111
Summary: What if Scott did not exist? What would have became of Stiles without his best friend by his side? What if he was bulled for being gay? When a bully goes too far with Stiles, he gets a rescuer in the form of Derek Hale. Slash and slow burn! Sterek.
1. Chapter 1

What if Scott did not exist? What would have became of Stiles without his best friend by his side? What if he was bulled for being gay? When a bully goes too far with Stiles, he gets a rescuer in the form of Derek Hale. Slash and slow burn! Sterek.

Here Comes the Fighter

Stiles had always been gay. It was never a question and never something he tried to deny. There was not a reason to because his mother loved him. She was nothing but supportive of him. Never did she resent him or forsake him. He was her absolute pride and joy. She had always been there for him and encouraged him when the intolerance and the disapproval of others made itself known to him. Tragically she died when he was eleven. She had terminal lung cancer. Watching her waste away was the most painful thing Stiles had ever experienced in his eleven years. Now, Stiles and his dad were all that was left of the Stilinski family.

His Dad. His relationship with his dad was different than the one he shared with his mother. His dad loved him. That much he knew. But, honestly? He was a bit distant with him. Unsure or tentative, maybe that accurately described him.

At seventeen, Stiles was a tad on the miserable side. He had an undependable jeep, a rocky social standing, and two friends to call his own. Boyd and Erica. They did not have any friends either, so basically by default they were friends. Boyd was a man of few words and Erica was eccentric and was prone to seizures. Though at first it seemed like they were just thrown together by the rest of the kids as the leftovers, they actually got along quite well. They often spent weekends together at the movies, or just hanging out at one of their houses.

Stiles only had one enemy it seemed like. Jocks. Jocks hated him on "principle" alone. Not jocks exclusively, but they typically travelled in large groups which them very intimidating for Stiles. One particular bully was a buff red head named Ralph. He was constantly cornering him and he instilled his form of pain. A one on one encounter with Ralph typically ended with bruised ribs or a black eye for Stiles. Ralph was tamed, for a bully at least, in a crowd but alone? Stiles shudders just thinking about it. The vibe that Stiles got from Ralph unnerved him.

###################

"BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP" Throwing his hand on to his alarm clock Stiles hit snooze. Blearily he read the clock, "7:00." He had forty-five minutes to get up and ready for school. It was the first day back from summer break. Clearing the sleep from his eyes he rolled out of bed. He went to his closet and he pulled out a shirt and straight legged jeans. Making his way to the bathroom he made sure to grab a towel. He jumped in the shower and hurried to dry and dress.

Wandering down to the kitchen he started making some cinnamon oat meal. His dad was on a strict diet and for breakfast he was quite limited to certain foods. His dad had been up for a bit and was just coming out from his bathroom. His scanner loudly blaring out some announcement, noticing his son he touched the volume button down. "Hey Son. Ready for your first day back?" Stiles handed him his bowl of oatmeal and the sheriff accepted it with a forced grin. Stiles stifled a smile, he knew his dad hated oatmeal. "Yeah, Dad. I mean I guess. When they mailed out our schedules me, Erica, and Boyd compared ours."

"Good news?" Asked the sheriff.

"Well, we share a few classes, but we have gym and algebra separate." Nodding, the sheriff bid his son good luck and good bye and left for duty. Sighing Stiles put the dishes in the sink and left to get his book bag and headed for his jeep. He pulled into the parking lot at 7:40. With a few minutes to spare he headed to homeroom. Erica met him and they sat together. Mr. Larken handed them those stupid papers to fill out and they reviewed the student handbook. Bored… Stiles was totally not paying attention any longer. ' I wonder if monkeys could learn to drive? Or if margarine has cholesterol, because Dad cannot have butter, but that's different, right? Totally.'

"STILINSKI" Jumping in his seat he turned his attention to class. "UUHM. What?" With a heavy sigh the teacher turned his attention elsewhere.

###########################

The second half of the day was spent running though their classes. Seven classes. The first five were going well. He had Advanced placement U.S history, twelfth grade English, Drama, government and computer science. All he had left was gym and algebra 2. Easy, right? Nope, nothing could ever be easy for him.

He walked through the gym doors and gathered in a group as directed as by coach Finstock. Stiles began taking note of who was in his class. He knew all of them except one. Before him stood a tall, trim glorified man child with obsidian black hair and deep hazel eyes. His hair was spiked and he had a clean shaven face that accented a strong angular jaw. 'So hot,' was all Stiles's brain could focus on. He wore black jeans and a plain white tee. As if sensing his gaze, those eyes snapped to meet his. Frying under the intensity, he quickly looked away from the stranger.

The bell was going to ring very soon and Finstock seemed confused, "One of you are missing. Or one of you skinny people is hiding among the fat people. WELL? Which is it?"

"Sorry coach. I am here!"

Stiles whipped around. His breath hitched. Through the gymnasium door came Ralph. "Jeeze. Thanks for joining us Mr. Football. We are truly graced by your presence. Get in here! And you, you look new. Are you new? I can practically smell that 'new kid smell' on you. Introduce yourself please. Give us your name and where you are from." The new guy in question steps forward with his head held high and turns to face the class.

"My name is Derek Hale. We just moved to Beacon Hills from Long Beach." Done talking he stepped back. Finstock seemed to have forgotten that he ever addressed him and he wandered back into his office. With no teacher in sight, the teenagers pulled out their phones and began socializing and talking about their summers. Stiles got up and left to go to the bathroom.

He stared into the mirror. He ran his hand over his buzzed hair and sighed. The bathroom doors opened to reveal Ralph. Trying to seem unaffected, Stiles goes to walk past him and leave. Just as he stepped by him Ralph shoved into his shoulder, "Fag," he added for good measure. He landed a punch to his stomach and an elbow to his back. Stiles fell to the floor. He went to pick himself up only to have Ralph stomp on his hand. He lifted his foot for a kick and then the sharp sound of coach's whistle stopped him. "Better get your ass up fairy. Finstock is starting class." Ralph briskly walked out the door and into the gym. Stiles picked himself up off the tiled floor. He brushed himself off and clenched the hand Ralph crushed. A searing pain laced from his hand up his arm. Shaking his head, he left to go to gym.

At least the rest of the day was not so bad. Algebra was a peaceful event. The bell rang dismissing the end of school. Stiles went to his locker to put the one note book he actually brought to school in there. Hearing a locker open right next he turned to see who it was. He looked over and saw the guy from gym. Derek, was it? His face was twisted up like he was confused about something. Then unexpectedly he asks, "Are you hurt?" Looking down at his hand Stiles saw a purple bruise. He quickly hid his hand behind him. "Nope, hurt? Definitely not hurt. This is me, Stiles. Completely unhurt." Derek stepped around faster than Stiles could see and snatched his hand. Examining it, his face darkened. "Who did this?"

"Oh that? Well I was just walking and swinging my arms and them BAM! I hit my hand against something. It was crazy. Um, do you happen to know the difference between margarine and butter?"

Unconvinced eyes flicked up to meet Stile's. Shaking his head, Derek dropped his hand and shrugged past Stiles. Saddling up to him to Erica said, "Who was that?! What did he want from you?" Laughing nervously Stiles said, "That was Derek. We have gym together. He is my new best friend. You are dismissed Erica. You are being terminated from your position. Your check is in the mail." Stiles swung on heel and turned away from her. "Hey!" Erica shrieked indignantly and hurried to rush after him.

Stiles went home to find his dad absent. Assuming he was still on patrol Stiles went to the store to get some dinner. He pulled into the grocery store parking lot and walked up to the entrance doors. Fliers for upcoming events were tapped along the windows and doors. One red flier caught his attention. He stepped closer to read it. "Amateur night at the Beacon Hills Boxing Ring! Come to Uppercut Gym on 42nd street on the 12th of August to see the event. Admission is $20." Noting that it was in a few days, Stiles sent a text to his dad. 'This Saturday theres a boxing match wanna go?' His dad replied, 'YES. WE CAN DO THAT,' shaking his head at his technologically impaired dad he continued in to the store.

_Later…_

His dad came home around eight. Stiles was in the living room waiting for him. The sheriff walked over to him, "So, how was your first day back?" "Well, it was pretty good as far as first days go. I met a new student today… He were very… strange." Interested the sheriff leaned forward, "Well, who is this person?" "Derek Hale." Oddly enough Stiles saw recognition flicker in his dad's eyes. "Do you know him?"

"Well, not him particularly, but I met his parents when they moved into that manor over on the other side of town. He has a big family I suppose." "A manor," questioned Stiles. Nodding the sheriff continued, "Yeah. They talked to me about it. It is over by the lake. They bought up a several acres of the land around it. I imagine it's very secluded in those woods." Shrugging, he headed into the kitchen to warm up the chicken and rice for his dad.

"BEEP BEEP BEEP" Rolling over Stiles yawned deeply and turned off the alarm clock. 'It's time to do it all over again. Same shit, different day,' thought Stiles.

Before he left for school he packed up all the things he needed for his classes. He heaved the back pack onto his shoulder and left for school.

He had just pulled in when he heard the loud rumbling of a motorcycle. Looking around he saw a black motorcycle rolling down toward. The rider swung his bike in the empty spot next to him. The guy wore a black leather jacket over a gray shirt with black pants. Removing his helmet, Stiles finally got a look from the mysterious rider. With spiked black hair and clouded hazel eyes, Stiles recognized it was Derek with hitch of breath. Quickly, Stiles got out of his car. He opened the door to his back seats and removed his, what could only be a one ton, backpack. Struggling he made his way up to the school. "Having trouble," asked a voice behind him. Without turning, he knew it was Ralph.

Next thing he knew the weight of his pack was ripped from him and he found himself flying into the group. He threw his hand up to catch his fall. His hands and knees dug into the asphalt and he started to bleed. 'Uhhhh. Did he have to ruin my new jeans today?' He looked up see Ralph and his crew tossing his bag around. Alarmed he voiced, "Hey! Stop. My computer is in there! You are gonna break it." Ralph caught the bag as it flew to him. He turned to toss it into the ditch. After Ralph released the bag, Stiles shouted. He could perfectly visualize his alienware breaking into a million pieces. Before it had the chance to meet the ground it was snatched up by someone. Derek freaking Hale.

Seeing Derek, Ralph says, "Hey, dude. Come on now. I would hate it if you ruined all our fun. Just put the bag down and walk away. Okay?" Derek's eyes flashed dangerously. He did not put the bag down, like at all.

"It's okay Derek. These guys? We go way back. We are really good friends so if you could put the bag down I will be sure to get up in a minute and fetch it," Stiles implored. 'What is this guy thinking? Standing up to these guys like that?' Ralph readily agrees, "See Derek, us and the fag were just playing-" Derek's fist slams solidly into Ralph's face. His back pack was slung easily over Derek's shoulder and didn't seem to hinder him at all as his landed an upper cut that made Ralph's teeth click so loud Stiles could hear it from the ground. Next thing Stiles knew, Ralph was on the ground next to him. Derek looked down at them both and after a second's hesitation offered Stiles his hand. Grasping it, Stiles was pulled up from the ground. With a smile on his face he looked at Derek and cockily stated, "Hey thanks man. But listen, I so had that. I fight my own battles, but you are new here so I'm gonna let this one slide." Derek just smirked at his bravado and placed the bag into Stile's raw hands. Together they walked into the school.

Far behind them at the end of the parking lot was Erica and Boyd. They saw the two walk in to the school building. Erica sighed sadly, "I guess it is true! I really am fired." Laughing at her, Boyd just locked elbows with he and walked with her to the school.

Stiles and Derek walked in together in a comfortable silence. They parted ways at their lockers. And for the most part, Stiles was a little sad to see him go. Sighing he walked to first period and sat down.

He had sat through four classes and was on his way to lunch. Entering the cafeteria he saw Erica and Boyd at their usual table in the corner. It was a table that sat eight but only he and his two friends sat there. They would get the odd visitor, new kids mostly, but a clique would pick them up and then they never talked to them again. He sat down on the other side of Boyd and looked around to see the trays of the other students. Noting the were all sporting Taco soup, Stiles opted out of lunch and settled for a blue Powerade and a snickers. They were just finishing when Stiles felt a body slide in to the chair next to him. Looking over he saw Derek. Before Stiles could say anything Erica was ready to dissect him. " So," she began," how did you end up here? I heard your from Long Beach." Stiles gave her a wide eyed look the begged her to be more polite and less creepy. She leaned back in her chair and dropped her shoulder that signaled her surrender.

"Well, my mother got a new job and so we had to pack up and move here." Stiles smiled, and asked, "So, how do you like that place? Meet any interesting people yet?"

Derek gave a little grunt, "It's no long beach, but it certainly has its perks."

"Oh?," asked Stiles. "Yes, I enjoy the company here more," was Derek's reply. Smiling the three friends accepted the response. Derek looked at Stiles and Stiles knew he was looking at where his hand got cracked and bloodied by the asphalt. Self-conscious, he put his hands under the table. They continued with lunch and Erica didn't try to grill Derek for information again.

Gym passed without a hitch and Ralph was unsurprisingly absent. Coach had them doing laps around the school. After they were done they hit the showers. Finishing up, Stiles returned to his sweaty gym clothes to his bag and changed back into his school clothes. The bell rung and he left for algebra.

Stiles ticked down the minutes until school was over. Today was Friday and he was getting excited to see the boxing matches on Saturday. It was the one thing him and his father agreed on besides lacrosse. 'Oh lacrosse, how I miss you.' The lacrosse season had started yet. In fall it would begin, but it did not seem to matter because he always rode the bench. He had practiced over the summer with Boyd, who was on first string. Boyd insisted he had made progress, but Stiles was pretty sure Boyd was just being nice.

Stiles' mind wandered to Derek. Derek was new here and while he obviously did not agree with the jock ground, Stiles knew it was only a matter of time before some other crowd shepherded him in. The thought made him sad…. He really liked Derek. He remembered another boy he thought he might like. Danny Māhealani had been his name. He tried out for goalie, he would have made it too, if he had stayed at school long enough. Rumor had it that something happened between him and Ralph that caused him to drop out and move up state.

"Ding! Ding!" With the sound of the bell Stiles shot out of his seat and went for his locker. Dumping the rest of his stuff there, he lingered to try and catch Derek. Five minutes passed and Stiles decided to head to his jeep and go home.

_Saturday night at Uppercut's boxing gym_

Stiles and his dad pull in to the parking lot. As they walked through the parking lot, Stiles thought nothing of the black motorcycle parked close the back of the building. They paid their admission at the door and stepped into the gymnasium. A huge boxing ring was dead center and around it were rows and rows of spectator chairs. Music blared from somewhere and the placed was hazy with smoke. Quickly he spotted to ringside seats and he and his father ducked into them. Hordes of people poured through the door until it was so crowded that Stiles felt suffocated. Finally the announcer stepped into the ring. "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for joining us tonight at Uppercuts. This is the first annual amateur boxing match. Are you ready to see some boxing?" The fans answered with uproarious enthusiasm. The announcer seemed satisfied and went to introduce the first match. Two men stepped up the little stairs and entered the ring. Both were ripped college age students. They exchanged two fist mumps ia way of hand shake. The belled rang. The first fighter, Mike, swung blindly and then feinted left. They exchanged several punched until the other guy, Willard, landed a combo that knocked Mike clean out of the ring. After the countdown, Mike made no move to get up so he was assisted to the back. "There you have it folks. Match one ended with a tough takedown. Up next in the ring is Tony –two ton Thomas- and our a newbie to our gym Derek Hale."

Gasping Stiles turned a gaping face to his father. Realization hit the sheriff and they both turned to the ring. True to the announcer's words here came Derek, naked from the waist up. Derek was focused on the appropriately name Two Ton Tony when he seemed to inhale deeply and suddenly his eyes landed on Stiles. Derek smirked, sexily in Stiles opinion, and winked at Stiles. "Woah, Stiles." Apparently his dad noticed the enticing wink too. "How well do you know him?"

"He is my new best friend. I fired Erica. She was useless, she didn't even know the difference between margarine and butter." "Stiles! You can't just do that. That's not how that works. And is there even a difference? "

"Calm down dad, she is still coming for dinner tomorrow. I was kidding." The bell rang and they turned their attention to the ring.

…

A/N wow. Chapter one of here comes the fighter is over! This is my First Teen wolf Fanfiction so bear with me, I hope you like it and the next chapter is coming soon, so in the meantime review please!

REA


	2. Chapter 2

Here Come the Fighter

Chapter 2

Seconds into the fight Stiles assumed one thing, 'Two Ton Tony was going to seriously eat him for dinner and then get indigestion and pop a few tums and exit the ring.' What Stiles then discovered was that Derek was _good_. He performed several promising combos and was an expert feinter. After a powerful punch to the chin with his right and sharp upper cut with his left delivered by Derek, Tony kissed the canvas. After the countdown, several men entered the ring and helped Tony out of the ring, Derek included. Vanishing in the back with Tony, Derek didn't show up for the rest of the show.

On their way home his dad turns to him, "I don't think Tony landed a single punch. Did you know Derek was going to be here tonight?"

"Nah. I haven't had much time to really talk to him" His father just hummed in response. After they pulled in at the house, Stiles climbed the stair and collapsed in his bed.

#####################

Later on Monday

Gym class

Finstock had them playing football. Football was certainly not Stile's game, but Derek was doing very well. Stiles had to struggle to keep up with him. "So Derek, you never mentioned you boxed."

"Well. It was my sister Laura's idea. It helps me vent. I've need doing it for about two years. That was my first match like that though."

"Honestly," began Stiles, "I thought you were gonna be Tony chow."

"Have you such little faith in me?"

"Nah, that guy was just huge."

"Hey wa-," Stiles swings his head to see a football spiraling in a high arc toward his face. Closing his eyes he braced himself for pain. After a second with no pain, he tentatively opened his eyes. Derek was standing in front of him with the ball in his grip. Looking over his shoulder he sees a Ralph with obvious disappointment written on his face. Shrugging his shoulders Ralph walked off to his buddies. With his back to them, Derek snapped his wrist and let the ball fly. It hit Ralph squarely on the back of the head. Derek quickly spun around and bodily turned Stiles around too. He smiles at Stiles innocently and says, "OOOPS. It slipped." Grinning in return the Stiles stifles his laughter and tries to act nonchalant about the whole affair while Ralph howls in the bleachers.

Later at shower time, Stiles hung back as he usually did. After all the other guys filed out he slipped in. He removed his clothes and wrapped a towel around his waist. He made his way to a stall when he heard a cough. Turning he saw Ralph completely naked. Quickly he averted his gaze anywhere but at Ralph. Seemingly offended, "Don't like what you see? Huh, fag? I'm not your type?" Ralph was suddenly in his face. His hot breath was lingering on Stile's face. "Not particularly Ralph. Douche bag is not my type. Sorry."

Ralph brought back his fist and decked Stiles in the face. He kneed him in the stomach and left Stiles doubled over, completely winded. Ralph's hand moved to his towel. Stiles weakly punched him, "Stop it, damn you." Laughing Ralph ripped the towel from him.

"Damn Stiles. I am surprised at you. Just look at you."

"Please. Ralph. Give me the towel, Now!"

Ralph nodded his head slowly, as if considering his plea. Then he jerked his head back and laughed. "I am going to make you straight yet!" He reached for the most intimate parts of Stiles. Suppressing a whimper Stiles tries to punch him again. This time he lands a punch to his jaw. As if it were glass, Ralph recoils and howls with rage and pain. Ralph lunges and swan dives into Stiles. Stiles is pinned on the ground under the weight of him. Tears streak from his eyes and he finally can no longer suppress his cries. Ralph leans forward to kiss him. Stiles takes the chance to bite down on his attacker's lips. Growling, Ralph punches him in the stomach again, and again, and for a third and final time.

Suddenly, as if a gift from God, the weight lifts and a towel is dropped over him. Gazing up to the towel bearing savior he sees Derek. Tears distort his image, but it's Derek, definitely. Dropping his head on to the tiles he cries long and hard, knowing for the moment he is no longer going to be violated. Mentally he chants, ' Safe. Derek. Safe. Derek means safe.' Tough as nails and boxing Derek has come to his rescue. He has no idea how long he lies there, but eventually Derek pulls a shirt from Stile's bag and tosses it to him. Guessing his sob time was over, he pulls it over his head. Derek turns around and he gets up to pull the rest of his clothes on. "Ralph?"

Derek answered in a cryptic, "Gone." Stiles clears his throat and Derek turns to face him. Stiles notices he has a bloody nose and what appeared like bite mark on his arm. "Did he bite you? Are you okay?" Shaking his head in disbelief Derek utters, "Are you kidding me? Are you okay? Was I too late? Did he?"

Shaking his head, "No. Right on time. I couldn't stop him. I was not strong enough. I am not like you Derek. I am weak, and now you are hurt. Here let me." He grabs some paper towels, wets them under the sink and tries to clean the blood from Derek's face. Frowning, Derek grabs his hand, holding it in a warm hand. Suddenly he wraps Stiles into a firm embrace. Stiles stiffens at first, but relaxes. Stiles pulls away first and steps out of the warm embrace. He raises his hand ad begins to carefully dab at the blood on Derek's lips. "It does not have to be that way." Startled at the sudden conversation he leans back from Derek. "What?"

"It doesn't have to be that way. You can be strong. You, Stiles Stilinski, can be a fighter. That way, no one can take anything you don't give them." Stiles shakes his head doubtfully. "And who is going to turn me, the awesome Stiles, into a kick ass fighter, hmm?"

"Me, of course." Surprised, Stiles looks Derek in the face, "Really? You want to waste your time prepping me for round two with some idiot?" Derek stands up straighter and with a darkly determined face nods his head.

"One last question," demands Stiles in a no nonsense kind of way. "Anything," Derek affirms.

"What is the difference between butter and margarine?" Derek levels him a droll look and walks out of the locker room. "Damn!" says Stiles.

#############################

Well, as it turns out when a creepy would be rapist punches you in the face, it leaves a huge bruise.

"Yes, dad. Finstock had us playing football today. Yep. It really did hit me in the face. It liked to have knocked me off my feet. Who threw it at me? Umm. Coach did. Yeah! Coach did. Strong arm, that one." Laughing nervously he prays his dad bought it. Seeing doubt in his eyes he quickly changed the subject, "I am joining a gym. Uppercutts is going to turn me into an ass kicking machine in no time!"

"Really? Why the sudden interest in boxing?" Stiles pales at the question, "Oh well, I mean. I really think I have a future in professional ass kicking, don't you dad? I have to pay the bills some way and college is just too easy, and I always wanted new teeth so I hope we have good dental. Scratch that. I hope we have good insurance in general."

"Are you sure this has nothing to do with that…boy?"

"PFFFF. Just, pffff. As if Derek has anything to do with this…pfffff."With what he hoped was a convincing smile, Stiles bounded off to do some homework. The Sheriff shook his head at his son.

Stiles count not focus on his work. He had not been taking his Adderall lately. As a result many thoughts plagued his mind. Primarily, Ralph was his only reoccurring thought. It had been a close call. Erica and Boyd definitely noticed his bruise, but seemed to quickly buy the football accident excuse. He could still feel the warm breath against him. He could feel the bile rising in his throat, he hurried to his trash can. He noiselessly vomited his dinner and decided to lay there in the floor. Forcing his mind else where he began to wonder real world issues of today, 'Why do people complain about being on Facebook on Facebook? Or is it fair that famous people get assassinated and regular people get killed?' Shaking his head clear of those pointless thoughts he got up with a sigh and began to look for his Adderall. Popping three of them, he set about his homework.

#######################################

Stiles walked into school with Derek by side. It turned out that Ralph was out for the week. And bruises, Stiles figured out, don't just disappear overnight. Damn. "So," Derek began, "tonight do you want to come over to begin your training?"

"Are you really sure you can handle all of this?" Stiles adds a flourish of his hand and a teasing grin. Snorting Derek nods. Stiles wrote his number on Derek's hand, "Text me the address."

_Later…._

Stiles pulled up to Hale manor at five. Looking at the house he noted it was a gorgeous three story white brick with a wrap-around porch with a gazebo in the middle of a freaking pond that had an arching bridge connecting it to land. Derek exited the house through grand French doors. Behind him were a bunch of people he didn't recognize. The first person to greet him was a woman, his mother, Talia, as he learns later. She swept him in to a big hug that took him by surprise. She was about 5'6 and slim. Her hair was a deep chocolate that framed her winter green eyes. It's been so long since a mother hugged him that he forgot what it felt like. Feeling all warm inside he turns to greet the others. Derek introduces him to his sisters Laura (older, age 20), Cora (younger, age 12), and Greta (younger age 3). And after them came three boys, Chandler (younger, age 12 and Cora's twin), Garret (age 14) and his cousin Marshal (age 5). His Uncle Peter and Aunt Dawna were next. Derek stood off to the side kind of apologetically. Standing next to Derek was a man who could only be his dad. A tall man with broad shoulders and a strong chin looked at him calculatingly. He stepped toward Stilles and loomed down almost intimidatingly. Not about to be cowed by the man, Stiles jutted out his chin and steeled his nerves. He stuck out his hand, "Hello. I'm Stiles. Pleased to meet you sir." With nerves of steel, he looked firmly into hazel eyes so like his friend's. He refused to look away from the hard eyes and he stood his ground. The stern faced crumpled in a grin and he laughed. He pulled Stiles into an embrace just like his wife did. "Oh please, none of that sir business, call me Sam." Nodding Stiles let out a breath he had not known he had been holding in. Whatever that test was, he seemed to have passed in Sam's eyes.

Derek was finally able to usher Stiles to the basement where there was a mini gym. "Sorry about them. They are a bit overwhelming, especially at first."

"No prob. My mother passed when I was eleven. I am an only child, so this kind of family is very refreshing to me."

"Sorry to hear that," Derek says while he tosses a pair of boxing gloves to Stiles. Stiles fumbles with them and slips them on his hands. "Hey. These feel funny."

"That's because you have them on the wrong hand." Smiling sheepishly Stiles said, "That makes sense, you know, because looking at them now, I see they are plainly marked for which hand they go to." Looking up, he saw Derek with his fists in air mitts. "Ok, Stiles. I want you to punch into the mitts on my hand."

"Are you sure? What if I break your hand, and then we have to go to the hospital. Then we turn this into a whole ordeal-" Derek shakes his head. Not stopping for a moment Stiles has entered a full on ramble.

"Stiles?"…."Hold on. I'm not finished. And then we end up in Mexico, wasted and with our heads shaved. OOOH. And you have a tattoo of a dolphin on your forehead…"

"Wait, a dolphin? Why?"

"I am not sure why you want a dolphin tattoo on your forehead. There are at least 14 cases of dolphin rape reported each year in the United States, usually near the shore where victims are able to escape before they can be dragged into a dolphin rape cave. We cannot be sure how many were drug out, rapped, and drowned in open water. The world may never know...Oh, and they kill babies. Dude. You are sick."

"Hey, I do not want a dolphin tattoo, I did not want one before, but now I really don't want one. Hey! I thought you came here to learn this!" Stiles, not the least bit fazed by Derek's exasperated tone, "Well, what are you waiting for Derek? Put up your dukes!"

#########################################

Tired. Very Tired.

Derek had worked with Stiles for three hours. Stiles was currently being drug up the stairs by him, in fact. Derek dropped him the coach and disappeared behind a door. Stiles took a minute to look around the living room. The floor was a white washed oak and stretched across the flooring was a sheep skin rug. The coach he was resting was white suede and a 50 inch platinum tv hung over a fireplace on a pale blue wall. Looking around he saw just how lavish the house was. Suddenly he felt a tug on his pant leg. Looking down he saw Greta standing there. "Sti! Up!" Never one to deny a kid, he leans forward to pick her up and sets her in his lap. She turns around in his lap and throws a daisy chained necklace around his neck. "Is this for me? Awh, thank you. I don't have anything for you. Oh wait, here we go." From his pocket he procures a leather bracelet. It was just three chords of leather that he breaded together, but never wore during the day at school, because people gave him funny looks. It was much too big for Greta, but she brandished it proudly. "Do you like it? I made it see? I just wrapped them together and voilà!" For whatever reason, Greta raised it to her noise and breathed in deeply. 'She must a leather kind of girl,' he mused. Fully satisfied with their exchange she giggled and slid off his lap and waddled off. Derek suddenly came through the door with two sandwiches and two powerades. "Food! Thanks." Taking one he happily bit into one.

"So tell me. Am I a lost cause? Do I have a chance to actually learn this?"

Derek pondered this for a moment, "You are so absolutely terrible that I was actually taken by surprise by it. However, I will say this. Because you are so inept at this, you only have room for improvement. I guarantee that I can have you in fighting shape in a few months, if we have plenty of days like this."

"Nice necklace by the way." Finally remembering the chain of daisies around his neck, he coolly responds, "You think so? I kinda thought it clashed with my moles. I think you're just jealous your sister just likes me more than you."

"Is that so?" Derek pulls back his collar to reveal a daisy necklace of his down.

"Darn, and just when a guy starts to feel special." Stiles looked over to a grandfather clock in the corner and almost choked on his ham and wheat. "It is really late. I have to head out. Thanks for everything! Same thing and same time tomorrow?" Derek nodded and he walked with Stiles to the door. Their good bye was an awkward exchange of just repeating farewells. "Good bye."

"Bye."

"See ya later"

"_Au revoir, Auf Wiedersehen, hasta la vista_," called Stiles as he headed to his jeep. Derek was almost put out by the sudden change of languages and suddenly called a small, "_Ciao_!"

…..

(A/N) Well. This is chapter 2! A lot happened in this one! Please leave a review!

_Ciao!_

REA


	3. Chapter 3

Here Comes the Fighter

Chapter 3

Ever since that day, gym class had become a high stress situation for Stiles. He never verbalized just how scared he was around Ralph, but he did not have to. Derek was ALWAYS there, right beside him. Derek was his saving grace. When shower time rolled around Derek always checked the stalls and stood watch outside the door to make sure Ralph never entered. It was an unspoken agreement. Derek was going to watch out for Stiles until Stiles could do it himself, and then maybe Derek would relax a bit.

Derek and Stiles trained four days a week at Derek's home, and every Saturday at Uppercuts. Thirteen weeks in training, and Stiles had already fallen painfully in love with Derek. He loved everything about Derek. The way he knotted his brows when helped Stiles solve a hard algebra problem, or the way his socks never matched. He loved his whole family. Peter was the funniest smart ass he ever met. He always loved to be challenged with by man's witty humor. His little brother Chandler particularly liked Stiles. He remembered when he first talked to him.

_Stiles had been trying to find Derek's room because he was looking for the boxing gloves Derek had left in there. Derek was off trying to convince Marshall that dolphins weren't all bad. Stiles still had no idea how the little boy even heard that conversation,' Seriously, I mean we were in the basement,' he groused mentally. He had gotten kind of lost upstairs. He tried to remember the direction gave him, "Ok, go up those stairs. Go left down the hall and I am five doors down on the -," Suddenly he is interrupted by a cry from Mrashall. Before Stiles can process what the boy says Derek responds, "No. dolphins don't really have rape caves!" And here Stiles was, five doors down the hall and a door on either side of him. He picks one at random. He opens the door to see wall to wall comic books all in piles about knee high. Covering the walls were posters of superheroes, and hanging from the ceiling is the Justice league. "Whoa!" _

_A throat suddenly clears and he sees Chandler looking at him critically. Without any prompting Chandler walks up, arms crossed and asks, "Marvel or DC?"_

_Stiles, without pausing a second, asks, "Red M&MS or Blue M&MS? Both are delicious."_

_Accepting the odd question was an answer, Chandler nods and continues, "Cyborg or Iron man." _

"_PFFFF. Iron man."_

"_The Avengers or the Justice League?" _

_Stiles takes a moment and replies, "The Avengers, if only because they have the best movies."_

"_In a match between the Green Goblin and The Joker, who would win?"_

"_No one. They would destroy the entire world and be force to draw.  
Chandler looks at him with a weird light in his eye and he smiles appreciatively and says, "You're good enough." "Good enough for what?" Chandler replies with a simple, " for Derek." At this point Stiles turns beet red and stammers, "Speaking of him, where is his room?"_

_Chandler points across the hall and Stiles jerkily moves toward the door._

Even with Chandler implying Derek was gay, Derek showed zero interest in him. Like not even zero, negative interest in him. Regardless of his apparent lack of sexual attraction to Stiles, Derek was a now a constant in his life. He assured Stiles that had really improved. A little part of Stiles agreed. He had put on a noticeable amount of muscle mass and his reflexes had definitely improved, if his success in lacrosse was anything to go by. By now, they used the air mitts less frequently and moved onto the punching bag and hanging speed bag. He and Derek sparred frequently, regardless of the big difference in weight class. Stiles never won, but Derek never stopped encouraging him.

As far as school went, he was not first string, but he played often enough. Finstock was no longer hesitant to throw him in. He scored five goals in three games and even broke a guy's thumb which was always exciting. He remembered the first time he played.

_They were being slaughtered by boys from West Coast high. The first string boys had been ran into the ground and it was the last quarter so Finstock had decided to pull them out. _

"_Billinski! Rodriguez! Nickels! You're in! Don't kill yourself and don't make me regret this."_

"_What. Me? Oh my god. You mean me." Bewildered, Stiles stepped out on the field and got into position. His father, who sat bored in the stands, jumped to life._

"_Woah! Go Stiles!" For all his flaws, his dad always supported him and Stiles was grateful for the cheering, because everyone else seemed defeated and they were only second stringers so the crowd knew them less. _

_Jackson Whittemore, their captain, stood in the center facing the other captain. Stiles was at his right wing and Jonesy was at his left. The ref blew the whistle and the countdown from 12 begun. Jackson gained possession of the ball and threw at Stiles. Stiles looked blankly as the ball landed in his net._

_The coach went crazy, "Stilinski! Get your butt moving!"_

_Stiles snapped out if it and ran for the goal. The other players from WC were not fresh players and were very drained. They gave chase for Stiles, but Rodriguez and Whittemore kept them at bay easily enough. _

_Nine feet from the goal Stiles hurtles the ball at the goal and the goalie jumps to block it and falls short._

_A goal. "I scored a goal!" The guys gathered around him and they celebrated their first goal of the night._

_His dad was so proud, "That is my boy!" He cheered. Stiles scanned the rabid crowd and saw, to his surprise, Derek. Huh._

_They lost, but Rook scored another goal so it was only 5 to 2. _

_After the game Stiles was coming off the field when he saw Derek again._

"_Hey, I did not know you came to these."_

"_I usually don't." Was his short reply._

"_Why not?" Inquired Stiles. _

"_I never had a reason before."_

"_What is your reason now," By now Stiles was beyond curious. _

"_You."_

He had yet to be approached by Ralph since the incident, for which he was grateful. And, to top it off, he had been invited to a Halloween party at 'the Lydia Martin's house'. Everyone was going to be there and he was nervous about what he should wear. He was currently browsing the costume section when he saw it. The perfect costume! Giddy, he rushed over to it and went to the check out.

################################

He pulled up to Lydia's house and parked in the grass. There were cars lining up her whole drive and were and a dozen other cars were already pulling into her yard. He stepped out of his jeep and slipped his mask over his head. He walked up to her huge home and stepped inside. Loud music blared and hazy smoke made it hard to see in the dim lighting.

He walked through the grand foyer and went into the kitchen. He picked up one of the prepared cups and took a gulp. And then he spewed it on some girl dressed as Little Red Ridding Hood, because he was certainly not prepared for the rum and coke mixture. Putting down the drink he went to walk to the living room ad fought through the throng of people as they gyrated over anything that moved, including the little dog desperately trying to run away. He quickly grabbed the little dog from the creepy people and clutched it to his chest. He turned around and ran bodily into Derek. Stiles knew he was completely unrecognizable in his costume because it was a) completely not his normal thing and b) it covered him entirely. He wanted to pull one ever Derek but to his surprise he heard, "Stiles? What are you exactly?"

"You recognize me? Shit, I thought this was gonna be awesome. I was gonna walk in here incognito and just be the mysterious guy that everyone remembers, but no had no identity. And what am I? I am a werewolf. Can't you tell? I have fangs, a tail, ears, and paws, the whole nine yards. What are you tonight?" Looking at Derek, he looked the same as any other day. He has slicked up hair, a white shirt, black jeans and slightly unshaven face, just the same as any other day. "Oh. I am a werewolf too." Looking doubtfully at him, Stiles shook his head. As if to prove it, Derek flashed a smile that lit up his whole face and showed some very impressive canines. "Oh, you put in those vampire teeth!" Derek deadpanned, "Vampires don't exist."

"Hahaha," responded Stiles. Stiles decided he was going to flirt with Derek. "Hey, if we are both werewolves, let's be mates!" Derek turned to him and said in complete seriousness, "We already are." Then his face broke into a grin and his eyes lit up as if enjoying a private joke. "Come on then, mate. I need some food! Oh hey, whose dog is this?"

#########################

The music seemed to get even louder, and, unable to resist any longer, Stiles jumped into the throng. He danced amongst the people and he felt the push of a hundred bodies pressing against him and he, always in character, through his head back and howled. He looked over to see Derek off to the side awkwardly. At the sound of the howl, he perked up and laughed. It started as a rich rumbling and soon bubbled up into outright laughter. Stiles felt exceedingly proud to have elicited such a response and decided to call Derek over, "Come on Derek! Dance. I know you want to dance with me."

"Hahaha. Are you kidding? I can't dance like you can."

"You call this dancing? Just bind you knees and wiggle around, that totally qualifies. Come on. Don't be a sour wolf!"

Derek frowned, attractively in Stile's opinion. Stiles shook his head and grabbed him by the wrists and tugged him into the shaking mass of people. Derek stood there rigidly while people danced all over him and he bared his Hollywood fangs at Stiles. Stiles, not in the least bit scared of the false teeth, sent Derek a thumbs up.

_Much later in the evening…_

Stiles was not sure when, but sometime in the night, he threw up on Derek. Stiles was heavily intoxicated and just remembered barfing all over him. Some snip its of the night slowly came back to him. Somehow, he lost his werewolf costume and left wearing a slutty Pikachu ensemble and princess crown on his head. Derek, who was also smashed, left with the same clothes he came in except with one addition; around his waist was a pink shredded tutu.

All in all, it was a very confusing night and they never mentioned it again.

#########################

With a hangover to end all hangovers, Stiles got up from bed and made some strong coffee. Sitting down in front of the tv he looked for the remote. After what felt like forever, he found it jammed in between the cushions. He turned the tv on with a press of a button. The local news blared in front of him.

The petite blonde news anchor began her spiel, "Good morning California, it's the day after All Hallow's Eve, but something more than candy hunting transpired last night. It is confirmed that a sinister presence walked the street last night in search of victims to take part of something being dubbed human hunting. Eight people, ages 16 to 22, were found dead scattered all around the area. Tracking confirm that eight people were released from a single location and then were hunted down and killed. The cause of death appears to be mutilation caused by knives. The culprits, their motivation, and the identities of the bodies are yet unknown. In other news, a dophin rape-." The television blackens as Stiles gets up in shock.

'Human hunting? That's absurd. Dad. Where is dad?' He got out his phone and dialed the number. "Hello, this is Sheriff Stilinksi," was the exhausted greeting Stiles got. Stiles winced a little. His dad must have been up since dawn, or when ever the first body was reported.  
"Hey dad. So is it true? Human hunting?"

"The dogs have confirmed it, and it evidence leads us to believe that is what happened. However, cause of death is a little foggy, the wounds are not knives. It is almost liked they got mauled by a wild animal," the sheriff paused and Stiles could hear people calling him over, "Sorry Stiles. They found something. I have got to go." His dad hung up. Suddenly, he decided to sent out three texts. One went to Erica, Boyd, and Derek.

Erica and Boyd replied quickly and Stiles was relieved to know they were okay. Derek, on the other hand, never replied. Stiles' breathing was slowly becoming rough and hollow. 'What if he was dead or missing?' Stiles was beginning to panic. Suddenly a knocking sounded on his door. Perhaps knocking was not a way to describe it, it was more like vicious pounding. Stiles carefully grabbed pepper spray from on top of the fridge where his dad kept the spares and walked up to the door. He jerked the door open and raised his pepper spray. On the other side of the threshold was Derek.

Before Derek had time to register how close he was to getting maced in the face, he had an arm full of Stiles. Though Stiles had an iron grip on him, Derek unsurely wrapped his arms around him and breathed his mate's scent in deeply. Derek had been scared as well, 'Thank God they have not figured it out yet,' he thought happily.

"Hey Stiles, I came to get you. Me and my family have something to tell you. Will you come over?" By now, Stiles' interest was sparked and he nodded his head.

"Going to share some family secrets with me? Oh, I bet I know what it is. The mob is after you and you are in witness protection. Oppps, did I blow your cover?" Sadly Derek shook his head and thought, 'I wish it was that simple.' Instead he responded with a forced grin, "Try again."

"I bet you are an alien species and you guys have decided I am the best and brightest from this disgusting race and want to take me back to the mothership to plead my case for humanity. Well, okay but first I will have to pack and run to the store. I doubt they have Twinkies in space, but I would not be surprised if you aliens had Mars Bars or Milky Ways." Shaking his head, Derek tugged Stiles outside and listened to Stiles babble about the nutritional value of olives and put the helmet on his mate and then put his own helmet on. He and Stiles settled on the bike and he felt Stiles' apprehension.

"Don't worry Stiles. I will be careful. This is easy, just lean when I do and hold on, ok?"

He felt Stiles lean forward and wrap his around Derek's middle. Derek turned the ignition and the bike roared to life and they zoomed down the high way. Derek was pretty sure Stiles didn't stop talking the entire way there and when they reached to a stop at Derek's house Stiles was out of breath from shouting over the roar of the engine. Derek just shook his head fondly and they entered the house.

##########################

Stiles and Derek walked through the threshold and entered the home. Stiles stopped talking immediately. He could feel the somber mood and taste the anxiety in the air. Stiles turned his head to Derek. He looked worn and ill at ease. Stiles took a step back in trepidation. "What's wrong? Why did you bring me here today?"

Just then Sam, Talia, and Peter came through family room to greet them. Derek ignored them and locked eyes with Stiles. Stiles felt a rush of calm overtake him. 'This is Derek,' he reminded himself mentally, 'he saved you, and has taken care of you. Whatever this is, it will be ok.'

Derek read him easily and was relieved when he calmed down, that calm would for a while at least.

Stiles turned his attention from Derek and looked over to his family. Stiles tried to smile at them and Talia was the only one who could successfully smile back. It appeared to Stiles that they were very nervous about something and that something was _him. _At least Talia looked confident.

Talia was first to suggest that they convent in the living. After sitting in the love seat with Derek, Stiles looked over to the adults. They were all sharing weird looks and suddenly turned to Stiles. Talia walked up to him and sat down on the coffee table in front of him.  
"Stiles," she began in a calm voice that demanded all his attention. "It is true that we moved up here for work, but what I'm qualified to do is not taught in schools. I was hired by someone to eradicate a pack of rogue werewolves in lower California because it takes a werewolf to hunt one." At this her eyes turned into the bleeding red of an alpha.

"Is this a joke, Derek? You did not tell me your mom had a since of humor. It's a weird form of humor, but I accept you, Talia."

Talia shook her head and showed her teeth and suddenly they elongated and huge ears sprouted from her head. "We are all werewolves here, Stiles. Everyone except Chandler and Peter's wife Dawna, who is a fae. Chandler is a regular human, as Dawna is only half fae so she has been prone to a little magic here there. Nothing fancy, oh and don't let her read your palms or tea leaves, because some things are better left unknown."

She reached forward and grabbed his hand gently. Her claws brushed his skin and he freaked.

"What is this? Harry Potter? Do I get to be a wizard? It's okay Hagrid, you can come out now. I am ready to go to school!"

Peter looks extremely lost, "What is this kid talking about!"

"Professor Lupine? Is that you? Or is this a really bad teen movie? Jacob Black? Does this make me Bella? I don't wanna be Bella!"

His throat closed and his vision blurred. 'Oh great. A panic attack. How convenient a time.' He shook his head and they began to fret over him. Peter disappeared for a glass of water, and Sam stepped closer to the three of them.

Derek slipped in front of his mate and grabbed on to his shoulder and gave them a slight shake. He tried to exude calm in the bond, the link, he shared with Stiles. He let out a low calming rumble that emitted from his chest.

'A growl,' Stiles mentally noted. He embraced the calming affect Derek had on him and focused on his hazel eyes. His breathing became more rhythmic and the lump in this throat was slowly deflated. Derek's eyes flashed yellow, but Stiles did not even take notice. This was Derek, the guy who protected him, the one who saved him being Ralph's victim and the one who gave the confidence and ability to protect himself. Here was Derek freaking Hale, a werewolf, the man he loved, even if it was probably ones sided.

Stiles looked over to Peter who rushed back bearing water. He took it with a smile and drank heavily. Turning to Talia he asked, "Why are you telling me this?" Trying to be funny, he added, "Do you have to kill me now?"

Talia smiled at the joke, "No. Quite the opposite. We are telling you this so you can live. The packs of rogues were not going to be taken out so easily. We left Long Beach to regroup with the family and immerse ourselves with the whole pack. I decided Sam and I could not take them out alone, so here we are. Our numbers are in this area. I am the Alpha and my Mate is Sam. Our pack is here. Those killings last night were caused by them."

"You're an Alpha? Do all werewolves get mates? What does this have to do with me?"

…

Wow. A bit of a cliffie! Thanks for reading ladies and gents. Please leave a review! I love to hear from you guys.

Reviews are love!

Ciao

REA


	4. Chapter 4

Talia avoided his question and decided to tell him all about pack dynamics. "Alphas run the pack. They are the strongest and can turn people into werewolves through biting and scratching them. Typically there are two Alphas, a male and a female. Betas are next in terms of chain of command. There are usually four or five Betas in a pack and, besides the Alpha, they are the strongest. Then you have other wolves that fall under betas. Next you have pups and mates. Every wolf has one destined mate and not every mate is a wolf, some are human, fae, or elven. "

"Okay, wait. So elves exist? Um, does that mean The Lord of the Rings was, in fact, a documentary or biography? Do hobbits exist too?"

"Stiles! That's classified," said Derek. Stiles was not sure if it was a joke or not. Hell, he was not sure if this whole thing was a joke.

"Mates are very important, without them the wolf goes insane. When a wolf has his mate, he or she becomes stronger, faster, and keener. The bond is so powerful that it links them together mentally and spiritually. If a bonded pair lose a mate, the surviving bond mate lives a half life."

"And finally you have Omegas, who are lone wolves." Here she paused. Stiles took a deep breath and tried to soak in the information.

"Seldom, you have rogue wolves. These are omegas that become insane and go into bloodlust. What attacked last night was a rogue pack. They followed us up here."

"Ok, what does this have to do with me?"

Talia looked at him sadly. It was starting to scare Stiles how sad they all looked, in fact.

"They want you, Stiles. There is only a few ways for an omega, a rogue in this case, to move up the ranks. One of them is starting a new pack."

"Are you saying I can somehow make a new pack? Just me? By myself?"

"You are a special person. You could be very valuable. You are considered a bearer. That means, Stiles, that you can carry children as naturally as a woman can. They want to use you to produce their own packs."

"What the Hell? Why me? Why not use a woman to carry their offspring."

"Because of their omega status, they cannot easily woo a woman. And a human woman is not strong enough to carry pups, and they are unable to turn them, as only alphas can do that. But you, Stiles Stilinski, can carry them and remain human. It is because of your bearer status that they want you."

"Why does this bearer thing exist? How did I become one? What happened that made me like this? What is going to happen to me?"

Stiles was in tears, he had barely shook off a rapey teenaged boy, and now a pack of wolves wanted to use his body for their own personal gain. He was certainly not going to get through this. He was going to become a fucking sex slave for, literally, a pack of hungry wolves.

"It's my fault Stiles," said Derek. Stiles tore his gaze away from Talia and raised his eyes to look into hazel ones.

"How in the world could you have caused this?"

"Stiles. You are my mate. We are destined to be together from birth, and the submissive mate always carries a womb."

"Mate? We are mates? That's… That's… Wow. That's normal though, a ton of stuff have mates, socks, for example, have mates. Yes, this completely normal, not weird. Like at all. " Stiles becomes quite for a moment. "There is no way you could be blamed for this anyway. It was fated, right? But, you don't even like me that way."

Derek put his head in his hands and shook his head, and he moaned miserably. "It's more complicated than that. I was not trying to pressure you. There are stages in the mating process and if we engaged in them we would be bonded for life. I did not know how to tell you_. _I would not trick you into mating with me unknowingly. So I suppressed _everything."_

Talia did not want to deviate from the most pertinent topic just yet. "Okay, you can discuss this later in private. We have to figure out a way to protect you. You are one of us, Stiles. You belong to this pack, and the pack belongs to you. You are Derek's family, and therefore you are our family. Your safety matters to us, and these rogues are a threat to you." Talia reached forward and wiped away a cold tear from his face. "Don't worry now though, okay?"

"What about my dad? He is a cop. He is actively searching for suspects that are beyond his reckoning? They will kill him, especially if they figure out he is a direct link to me right?"

Sam stepped forward and said, "Well, we have that taken care of. Say hello to your Dad's new partner! Well, technically I am just a newbie and for my training I get to be his ride along. So I will be with him every minute he is on the clock, effective tomorrow."

Talia looks at Peter and Sam and says, "We are going to go now. I think you two have a lot to discuss."

Derek and Stiles nod and the grownups leave the room.

Stiles turn to Derek, "How could you not tell me? This whole mate thing seems very important."

"Well, Stiles it not like it comes up in casual conversation."

Stiles tilts his head back and laughs, "Actually it does sourwolf. Remember the Halloween party?"

"Oh, that's right!" Chuckling Derek looks at Stiles. "I am sorry. But you have an option. You can say no. You can forget this ever happened and lead a normal life."

"Talia said wolves go crazy without mates. So if I left you alone, you would go insane. What is the fun in that? I would much rather be the one to personally drive you crazy. Besides if I left you, I would miss out on your superb dancing skills, and that would leave me empty inside."

Nodding his head, he contemplated Stiles' words. His face broke out into a grin, "Of course. I always knew you only liked me for my twerking skills."

"Oh hey, do I have to change, you know, into a werewolf?"

"No, nothing like that. You could if you wanted to, as a mate of a werewolf, the chance of you surviving the bite is even higher than average, after you are claimed at least."

"Good, because I like normal me. Now tell me about the stages, please."

"Stage one is courting. It is all about me winning you over. In the past, it could mean proving that the dominant partner can provide and protect the submissive and winning affection from the submissive.

Stage two is a kiss. This seals the bond between us.

Stage three is the actual mating, with… penetration."

Stiles looked at him coyly, "So I am the dominant partner, right? I mean, how could I not be? See these muscles?"

Derek looked at the flexing Stiles. He leaned forward, "What muscles? Are you even trying to flex?"

Aghast, Stiles said, "Are you blind? These are some serious guns man!"

"I am just teasing. Dominant and submissive means nothing more than the roles they play. It is the submissive's genetic makeup to carry children, that is really the only difference between them."

"Oh cool… So, you really did like me, huh? Was I that irresistible? I always knew I had strong sexual prowess, just look at me? It's a flaw, really."

###############################

After the whole pack of rogues want you for creepy rape sexy time, Stiles and Derek trained even harder. When they sparred Stiles had eventually reached a level of skill where Derek taught him different forms of fighting. They mostly concentrated of kick boxing because Derek thought it would make him a more complete stand up fight. The only problem? Stiles was scrawny with twig legs. He was built like a runner due to lacrosse, so they were having to build some muscle mass for effective kicks.

He was currently in the gym staring at the leg presses.  
"Are you sure this is safe? Is it up to code? Who even decides that? The gym police? Can you imagine their uniforms? Muscle shirts and yoga pants, I bet."

"I'm sure it is fine Stiles. Just get to work."

"What if they did not pass gym police academy, and are not qualified to make that decision? I just don't want my knees snapped off. I have never seen the back of both my knees at the same time before and I would like to keep it that way. " He stopped talking looked at the irritated gaze of his mate.

"Fine. I will get on this dangerous contraption, but I will hold you solely responsible for any injuries."

Derek nodded that he understood and Stiles hopped on. The leg press was very heavy and after a few attempts, his legs were shaking from the effort.

"Lies, this all lies. This can't be regulation standard. This is inhuman. Torture even. Derek?"

Derek dropped into a squat next to Stiles and looked into his eyes, "Stiles, the rogues are after you. If they got your hands on you, then you will actually experience real torture. I am not going to let that happen. I am going to protect you, and if I have anything to say about it, you are going to be able to fight them too. These people? They _are_ inhuman; they _intend _totorture you. You are going to be a fighter Stiles. Do not give up! Try Stiles. Try it again."

Stiles focused on the words Derek said. They made sense. Stiles nodded his head, popped in his earphones and turned the music all the way up. He paced himself with the music and worked the machine for a whole thirty five minutes.

When Derek pulled the earphones out of his head, Stiles stopped and looked at him. On his face was a beaming smile, "You did it! Come on, can you go on?"

Stiles nodded and stood up on shaking legs. He teetered around and decided to stretch them out a bit.

After an hour of work, and three more leg machines, Stiles was on the back of Derek's bike on his way home.

###################

So, every Saturday night was a family night of sorts at the Hale house. So, because Stiles was officially aware of the bond, he was invited.

Stiles was currently squished between Derek and Peter with Greta and Marshall on his lap. The family was literally piled all around. Sam and Talia were cuddled up on the love seat and the other kids were in a tangled heap on a pallet lying on the floor. On the other side of Peter was his mate Dawna. They had made pizzas from scratch and they sat down to watch a move. It was hard for Stiles to actually hear what was actually going on because Garret and Chandler wrestled the whole time and all Laura and Cora wanted to do was do each other's hair and gossip, but somehow Marshall had managed to sleep through all the ruckus and was currently drooling on his shoulder. Greta was crawling all over him trying to count his moles. But somehow it did not matter. It felt nice. It felt like this was what a family was supposed to do. Stiles leaned into Derek and wondered if this was how their family was going to be.

It shocked Stiles how easily he accepted the wolf revelation and the whole mates bonded for life thing. He knew he could not leave Derek, not because of some sense of duty, but because he genuinely wanted to spend his eternity with him. His relationship with Derek had not escalated, like at all. They had yet to kiss, and Stiles was nervous about it too. What if Derek did not like it, or did not want him?

Stiles could feel and well as hear Derek inhaling his scent. It was odd, he admitted. Not something he was used to, but that was just a wolfy thing, he supposed. Suddenly a little snore from Marshall brought him back to reality.

Stiles allowed himself to breathe in deeply, 'Family,' his mind registered.

The night wore on and the movie ended. Peter got up to detangle his frothy mouthed son from Stiles and Greta begrudgingly let him up.

As he went to leave he was got by surprise as Laura hugged him, "Scenting. It is what makes you pack. It allows the wolves to get to know you. It calms them, and us," she explained. Nodding with a smile and Stiles opened his arms wide, "Scent away!"

Laughing at him, Talia went in for a hug, and the rest of the family followed. But, oddly, Derek did not. When he came to his turn he just ushered him out the door. Stiles felt a little pang of hurt, but followed him none the less. Derek walked him to his jeep and just stood there blankly. Stiles opened the door and went to step up into the vehicle.

"Wait," Stiles turned at the sound of Derek's voice. He turned and found himself in Derek's strong arms. He felt Derek inhale deeply and held his breath, as if savoring it.

Curiously Stiles asked, "What do you smell?"

"I smell family. Mate."

….

Awh, cute Derek is cute!

Thanks guys, and review please!

_Ciao!_

REA


End file.
